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Catching shiny pokemon with the pokeradar

EDIT: Now that we all know what to do because of Shuko's and Merbear's guides, discuss progress and how far your chains are, what shinies you caught and whatever. XD But before that, here are some important side notes:

Side notes:
1. The animation for the pokeradar grass patches appear above the fog. (Very useful for people chaining Bagon)
2. For Chaining in the sandstorm, be in a very dark place, have your DS (Preferably a DS Lite) on highest light setting, and have it be around 11 Am. It should be very bright and easier to see the grass patches. You can also tilt the screen a little to semi-invert the colors and see better.
3. Every chain breaks for some reason. (Yes, they all do. It's in the coding.)
4. Magnet Pull attracts Steel type pokemon.
5. Static attracts Electric type pokemon.
6. Synchronize attracts pokemon with the same nature as the pokemon with Synchronize.
7. Lost my train of thought.... Will update more soon.

There is a lot of dispute going around as to whether or not this method works. I believe it does, because most people who get a high enough chain and catch a shiny are able to keep the chain going, and catch more shinies within only a few minutes of each other. For that reason, I think it deserves its own topic.

First off, I'll assume that you know what both shinies and the Pokeradar are. If not, I'd suggest not reading this, as it'll only confuse you.

Second, I'd like to begin by letting you know a few things you'll need to begin this method. Be sure to have the following:
1. The Pokeradar.
2. Pokeballs (to catch the shiny with, of course)
3. LOTS of max repels. You'll need to buy a lot of these, over 120 in some cases. I'd suggest fighting the Socialite and Gentleman on Rt. 212 with the Vs. Seeker and an amulet coin until you have enough for some max repels. You're gonna need them!
4. A strong, high-level Pokemon with enough PP in high power moves to take out a bunch of Pokemon in one blow. You'll want to specialize this in some cases, depending on which Pokemon you'll be chaining.
5. A Pokemon that can whittle your shiny's health down for catching. Obviously, this is optional, but very helpful if you're not swimming in master balls.
6. PP Restoring items. (I prefer leppa berries, as they're easy to find).

Now that we know what we'll need, let's get started! The first thing you'll want to do is go to Sandgem town and find out from Dawn's/Lucas's sister what Pokemon are swarming that day. In my case, it's Spoink, and they're on Rt. 214.

Once you know where the swarm is, go to that route, and find an ideal place to begin chaining. An ideal spot is one where the grass nearly covers the screen. My ideal spot is pretty far down, as you can see. Once you're there, save the game.

Now, I'm going to introduce you to a method known as "chaining." Chaining is a process by which you "chain" multiples of the same species of Pokemon one after another by using the Pokeradar. When done correctly, you can get dozens of these things in a row, and an added bonus to doing so is that it boosts your chances at finding a shiny Pokemon dramatically.

So first, we'll use a max repel, and then we use our radar. Notice all the wiggling patches of grass? I tend to go for the ones that aren't sparkling, as they're harder to confuse with others.

Now it's time to let you know about the "Rules of Chaining."

Rule 1:
Only choose a patch of grass if there are FOUR patches shaking.

Rule 2:
After the first patch you choose, all subsequent patches MUST shake in the same way. Choose any others, and you'll break your chain.

Rule 3:
Never choose a patch of grass that forces you out of the radar's range.
(The range is dictated by whether or not you can see all of the moving patches. This is especially important to consider when you only see two or three patches moving. Often this is due to the fact that there are patches shaking in other areas of grass on the edge of the screen. Take care not to choose a patch of grass from these sets, as you could break your chain)

Rule 4:
ONLY choose a patch of grass that's farthest from you, and is at least four patches away.Important
The patches must be four grass patches away. Look at the following.
A good patch to go into: P####%#
A bad patch to go into: P###%##
P=Your Player
#=Non-shaking grass
%= Shaking grass

Rule 5:
When using another repel, NEVER choose a patch of grass until you reset the radar. (This one is kind of up in the air. Most of the time, using a repel doesn't seem to upset my chosen patch of grass. This may only be a superstition. But proceed with caution anyway.)

Rule 6:
NEVER choose a patch of grass that occurs on a corner. Beware of patches on an outside edge as well.

Rule 7:
Avoid patches of grass if they are right beside other moving patches.

Rule 10:
Never run away from the Pokemon, and never let it flee either.

Rule 11:
Never use your bike.

It's a lot to remember, but in time, it'll become second nature. Now, I should address one more thing before moving onto the tips and tricks. Resetting the radar.

Here's how you do it. The Pokeradar needs to recharge after every fifty steps. If you come across a set of wiggling grass that doesn't go by the rules, walk fifty steps in non-wiggling grass, and use the radar again. This will not break your chain, so long as you are in range when you use the radar again. And believe me when I say this: you'll be doing a lot more resetting than running into Pokemon.

So now you have the basics. Is there anything else you should consider? Of course! Here are a few tips and tricks you might want to keep in mind before you begin:

1. Swarming Pokemon make the best chains. I've found through experience that swarming Pokemon make longer chains for me than any of the standard ones you might run into. It's worth noting.

2. Never enter the grass directly behind your character. Unfortunately, this grass is mostly hidden from view, and if it wiggles, you'll be hard pressed to see it. I make it a point never to enter this grass unless I can see all four of the wiggling grasses elsewhere.

3. It's good to have a Pokemon that knows super fang or false swipe in your team. They'll help make the Pokemon easier to catch. Any immobilizing statuses like sleep or paralysis are good too.

4. If you're hunting an electric Pokemon, put a Pokemon with static at the head of your party. This'll help ensure even more that you'll run into your chosen Pokemon (or so it is believed).

5. App. No. 20, the Pokeradar App, is very helpful. It will tell you how many pokemon you've chained, as well as your longest chains so far. This'll help you determine when you're ready to start resetting for shinies.

6. Register the Pokeradar. This'll help you out a lot.

7. Put your max repels at the top of your item list.

8. At some point, stop chaining and start resetting. Most people say 40 is a safe number to start resetting the radar, but as long as you have enough patience and max repels, even 20 could work. It's all a matter of how far you're willing to go to raise your chances. A chain can break for seemingly no reason at all sometimes. It's best to be extremely cautious.

9. If you need a break, take one! But make sure you'll know where you are when you come back. I find it best to take breaks in the middle of a battle, or right before I reset the Pokeradar. But whatever works for you. Real time won't affect your chain, so take all the breaks you need. Just be sure to plug your DS in if you need to leave it on for a while, and putting it in sleep mode won't hurt either.

And that's it! If you stick at it, you too should notice results. I've only been doing it for five days, and I already have five shinies to show for it!

And Merbear's guide as well.

Originally Posted by Merbear

I've been chaining for a while and learned a lot from reading Shuko and Pokerealm's posts, guides and videos. Here are some tips to help folks who are having trouble:

o Buy hundreds of Max Repels. Once you have a chain at 40 you don't want to run out. I usually start chaining with over 300. Money is easy to get using the VS Seeker on the rich folks near the mansion. Keep battling them until you have enough to buy lots of Max Repels.

o Each time you are in a grass space and activate the pokeradar imagine this grid around you (with you being 0 in the center):

Four spaces are chosen to be shaking spaces. One in the 1 area, one in 2, one in 3 and one in 4. (If you want to verify this, watch some videos on youtube and pause it during the shaking.) Those four spots chosen to shake may or may not land in grass. If where you're standing causes any part of the grid to be on a non-grass space there is a chance you won't see four shaking grasses as some may end up in non-grass spots.

This is why the chain can break if you're near an edge. If all four chosen spaces land on non-grass spaces your chain will end. This would explain why you really do need to stay at least one space away from a wall or edge so you're guaranteed to get at least one grass to shake in the 1 area and not break your chain. Remember you can always reset the radar if you don't like the shaking grasses available to you.

The above explains why sometimes people go into battle with the right type of pokemon, but it still breaks the chain. I think the next four spaces are chosen as you enter battle and if you are near an edge and the four land in non-grass areas, the chain breaks. It's happened to me, but not since I've followed these steps.

When building your chain to 40, the safest shaking grass to choose is one in the 4 area. It should shake in the same way as the first grass you went into in the chain. I like to choose the bright sparkle shaking grass as that is easiest to see. From what I can tell there are four types:
long no sparkle
sort dim sparkle
short bright sparkle
long bright pulsing sparkle <- shiny!

Try to reset the radar near the middle of the grass so that the 4 area will not land against a wall or edge. If the one in the 4 area has any non-grass area around it, don't choose it or you risk braking your chain on the next round of shakes. Just reset the radar. Be patient.

The next important thing is resetting the radar. Don't be afraid to do it often. You should have hundreds of Max Repels (see above) so don't skimp on using them. When resetting, stay a few spaces near where you last used the radar or you risk walking out of range and breaking your chain. I like to choose a row where no grasses shook and run back and forth three or four squares in each direction.

Once you hit 40, stop going into grasses unless it is a shiny pokemon. Just stay near the middle of the grass area and reset the radar. Run back and forth in a short range and reset again. Make sure not to walk into the space above your head unless you clearly saw 4 grasses shaking, otherwise you risk stepping into the wrong type of shaking grass if you didn't see one shake behind your character.

Most important of all, stop and take breaks when you're not concentrating fully. Just stop in the middle of a battle or when you reset the radar and need to walk more spaces. Close the lid on the DS and plug it in. You can keep a chain going for days. The ponyta chain I'm on now started several days ago. I just come back to it and continue resetting the radar for shinies when I have time. It may take 20 minutes or an hour between shinies, but they appear eventually.

This next is just a superstition on my part. If you're looking for a particular pokemon to start a chain and can't find it, try switching your lead pokemon to something else. I think certain pokemon in the lead cause you to encounter certain types more easily than others. Could be wrong, but it works for me.

Hope this didn't sound preachy. I just want to help everyone get more shinies. Hope this helps someone out there. Good luck to everyone,
Merbear

I remember hearing about the number of pokemon in a row, but last time I checked, people weren't believing it. I don't know about the second line, never heard about it. I think though that finding a shiney with the radar is the same chance as a normal shiny.

There is a lot of dispute going around as to whether or not this method works. I believe it does, because most people who get a high enough chain and catch a shiny are able to keep the chain going, and catch more shinies within only a few minutes of each other. For that reason, I think it deserves its own topic.

First off, I'll assume that you know what both shinies and the Pokeradar are. If not, I'd suggest not reading this, as it'll only confuse you.

Second, I'd like to begin by letting you know a few things you'll need to begin this method. Be sure to have the following:
1. The Pokeradar.
2. Pokeballs (to catch the shiny with, of course)
3. LOTS of max/super repels. You'll need to buy a lot of these, hundreds in some cases. I'd suggest fighting the Socialite and Gentleman on Rt. 212 with the Vs. Seeker and an amulet coin until you have enough for some good repels. You're gonna need them!
4. A strong, high-level Pokemon with enough PP in high power moves to take out a bunch of Pokemon in one blow. You'll want to specialize this in some cases, depending on which Pokemon you'll be chaining.
5. A Pokemon that can whittle your shiny's health down for catching. Obviously, this is optional, but very helpful if you're not swimming in master balls.
6. PP Restoring items. (I prefer leppa berries, as they're easy to find).

Now that we know what we'll need, let's get started! The first thing you'll want to do is go to Sandgem town and find out from Dawn's/Lucas's sister what Pokemon are swarming that day (if you want to chain a swarming pokemon).

Once you know where the swarm is, go to that route, and find an ideal place to begin chaining. (If you don't want to chain a swarmer, go to where the pokemon you DO want to chain is located ) An ideal spot is one where the grass nearly covers the screen. Once you're there, save the game.

Now, I'm going to introduce you to a method known as "chaining." Chaining is a process by which you "chain" multiples of the same species of Pokemon one after another by using the Pokeradar. When done correctly, you can get dozens of these things in a row, and an added bonus to doing so is that it boosts your chances at finding a shiny Pokemon dramatically.

So first, use a max repel, and then use your radar. Notice all the wiggling patches of grass? I tend to go for the ones that aren't sparkling, as they're harder to confuse with others.

Now it's time to let you know about the "Rules of Chaining."

---------------------------------------------------------
Rule 1:
Only choose a patch of grass if there are FOUR patches shaking. The reason for this is that if you don't see a fourth one, it might be hiding somewhere else, and it could be the one you were supposed to go to instead.

**Rule 2:
After the first patch you choose, all subsequent patches MUST shake in the same way. Choose any others, and you'll break your chain.

*Rule 3:
Never choose a patch of grass that forces you out of the radar's range.
(The range is dictated by whether or not you can see at least one of the patches of grass that wiggled.)

Rule 4:
ONLY choose a patch of grass that's farthest from you, and is at least four patches away.

Rule 5:
Never choose a patch of grass that's more than seven steps away. That's the steps you have to walk, by the way, by taking the shortest route. This is not a calculated distance; it's one you can count by actually walking it. (Someone in here warned us about this, but I can't track him down. If anyone can tell me who, I'd appreciate it; I need to credit him. Anyway, it's turned out to be true for me every time I tried it. If anyone can get it to not happen this way, I'll need to know that too. )

Rule 6:
NEVER choose a patch of grass that occurs on corners or edges. The fewer empty grass spots that surround your chosen patch, the greater its chance of breaking the chain.

Rule 7:
Avoid patches of grass if they are right beside other moving patches. See rule 5 for the same reason.

It's a lot to remember, but in time, it'll become second nature. Now, I should address one more thing before moving onto the tips and tricks. Resetting the radar.

Here's how you do it. The Pokeradar needs to recharge after every fifty steps. If you come across a set of wiggling grass that doesn't go by the rules, walk fifty steps in non-wiggling grass (taking care to stay in the radar's range), and use the radar again. This will not break your chain, so long as you are in range when you use the radar again. And believe me when I say this: you'll be doing a lot more resetting than running into Pokemon.

So now you have the basics. Is there anything else you should consider? Of course! Here are a few tips and tricks you might want to keep in mind before you begin:

1. Swarming Pokemon make easy chains. Swarming Pokemon, and also any other pokemon that are common in an area seem to be easier to keep the chain going. This may or may not be true, but It seems so in my experience.

2. Never enter the grass directly behind your character. Unfortunately, this grass is mostly hidden from view, and if it wiggles, you'll be hard pressed to see it. I make it a point never to enter this grass unless I can see all four of the wiggling grasses elsewhere.

3. It's good to have a Pokemon that knows super fang or false swipe in your team. They'll help make the Pokemon easier to catch. Any immobilizing statuses like sleep or paralysis are good too.

4. If you're hunting an electric Pokemon, put a Pokemon with static at the head of your party. This'll help ensure even more that you'll run into your chosen Pokemon (or so it is believed).

5. App. No. 20, the Pokeradar App, is very helpful. It will tell you how many pokemon you've chained, as well as your longest chains so far. This'll help you determine when you're ready to start resetting for shinies.

6. Register the Pokeradar. This'll help you out a lot.

7. Put your repels at the top of your item list.

8. At some point, stop chaining and start resetting. Most people say 40 is a safe number to start resetting, but as long as you have enough patience and repels, even 20 could work. It's all a matter of how far you're willing to go to raise your chances. A chain can break for seemingly no reason at all sometimes. It's best to be extremely cautious.

9. If you need a break, take one! But make sure you'll know where you are when you come back. I find it best to take breaks in the middle of a battle, or right before I reset the Pokeradar. But whatever works for you. Real time won't affect your chain, so take all the breaks you need. Just be sure to plug your DS in if you need to leave it on for a while, and putting it in sleep mode won't hurt either.

And that's it! If you stick at it, you too should notice results. I've only been doing it for five days, and I already have five shinies to show for it!

* These rules, if broken, break your chain ALWAYS.
** I have seen it happen sometimes where your chain can "shift grass types." What I mean is, I may start out with non-glittery grass, then all of the sudden, the chain will shift to glittery grass, and it's all that appears. I've had chains successfully shift to the new type of grass and keep going. Be extra cautious if you suspect this has happened.

every time u use it, it cuts the precent in half so 1/1872 becomes 1/931 and so on but if u run into another pokemon it breaks it so use max repels and ur granteed to not break the chain by not battling any pokemon. thats what i h
heard

every time u use it, it cuts the precent in half so 1/1872 becomes 1/931 and so on but if u run into another pokemon it breaks it so use max repels and ur granteed to not break the chain by not battling any pokemon. thats what i h
heard

From wha I've heard from peopls' success stories, this is correct. Except that the normal Shiny rate is 8192, so it'll take quite a while to get it down to a decent likelihood.

Then again, I may also be wrong. The only way to be sure is to delve into the game's code.

that's only a 13-length chain, though, since 8192 is 2^13. It seems doable. But I doubt it's true, lol. Just sounds too good to be true, lol.

Curse the fact that I was too lazy to do the math. That number makes this unbelievable. Thanks for pointing that out. It seems the shiny rate is unchanged, but the fact that it lets you know before battling them where shinies are makes it worth doing anyway.

It does not cut in half the chances of finding a shiny. Each time you get a Pokemon in a chain, it increases your chances a little bit, not much.
It is possible to get a large chain of Pokemon, but that is very hard. I have personally only gotten up to 11 in a chain.

I've seen many things that say that once you get like a 40 chian or above then the pokemon that you are chaining jumps exponintially in being shiny but I have yet to test this myself seeing as my highest chain is 21

my best chain is 33 I've done it three times - twice with Geodudes, once with Starly.. it's flipping hard to get it up past about 15 I'll say that much.. and I've not seen any shiny grass yet, damn my luck

EDIT - I'd just also like to add something else that REALLY annoys me.. sometimes you will have a chain running and it will just stop for no reason.. no other pokemon breaks the chain, the pokeradar just stops working so you have to start over.. thats so annoying.. it happened once when I had encountered 33 Geodudes.. I was less than happy =/

Diamond Fc-0817 0220 3181 Names Ghost Pm me yours!
I have no life, and i like making trainer cards PM me if you want one. I can also give you the site were i got all of my stuff so you can make your own!

You go into the low grass off your bike, go to your items in your pack, select poke radar, then look for some grass to move. Go to the grass that moves, and you will encounter a battle. The poke radar has a unique song to it.

Anyways, I hope somebody can give a sure answer on how to get shinies. I'm confused myself.

Dedicated to my beloved friend, Tyranny the Tyranitar

With its indestructable body, it is bound to rule all.....

Has for now, have a nice day! Spoiler:- info about me:

Former Spokane Pokemon Leagues Owner from 2009-2013.
Top 8 Utah VGC Regionals 2013 w/ sun team.
Member of Serebii for more than 6 years now.

...wow i really feel like a dork now thanks...that is in my pack *checks it out* how did that get in there...

Diamond Fc-0817 0220 3181 Names Ghost Pm me yours!
I have no life, and i like making trainer cards PM me if you want one. I can also give you the site were i got all of my stuff so you can make your own!